I wonder if “minka” and minga are the same thing with slightly different accents. Minga in Ecuador is a work party. In my community we have mingas for maintaining the roads, water system, etc… in more indigenous communities the mingas are also gatherings to do farm work. Ecuador also has drier regions which excellent avocado production. In my opinion, if the land is prepared correctly so that it has excellent drainage even during heavy rains it can be more productive here directly on the equator (my farm is about 11km from the equator). Though I haven’t spent any time on avocado farms in Peru so I may be mistaken. So far all I know of Peru is Lima, and looking across the Rio Santiago on the border where Peru and Ecuador fought a war. I definitely need to take another trip to Peru and get to know more.

​@@FallofftheMapI never heard of minga, but after fact checking minka = minga . It came from the Incas. Avocado has 2 different names in Latin America. From Ecuador upward = aguacate , from Peru downward = palta. If you hypotesis is correct, then Ecuador could get into the global market of avocado , just needs government support. Here avocado in the highland is booming, specially in the central andes. Colombia has been getting into the market the last years, while Chile has lost its pace due to water scarcity, actually Peru exports avocados to Chile, too. During 2023, it was about 1 billion dollars in avocado from Peru to the World. What are figures impossible to predict 10 or 15 years ago, so everything is possible with perseverance

@@davidveraok Ecuador does export avocados, but being on the U.S. dollar causes exports from Ecuador to be higher cost than neighboring countries so our market share is significantly smaller.

@@FallofftheMapThat is good news. I think Ecuador could follow what Peru has done the last 20 years. Palta is a vogue right now in the World. It is very hard work, but very profitable on the long term. In case you are planing to visit us, it would be glad and you will be welcome. Corea del Sur, South Korea is a new market for Peru . . .

@@davidveraok South Korea is a great market, very advanced. I spent 6 months there while I was traveling the world looking for where I wanted to live.

Awesome! Thank you!

@@FallofftheMap Yeah bro! That was really interesting.

The experiences, problems, and solutions I’ve seen work here differ. What works for you in California with the type of root stock you use may not work here with what is available and trusted here. I do appreciate you advice though.

Understood. But it is true that organic matter decays, and when it does, it uses up oxygen. Decaying organic matter ON the ground is wonderful nutrition for all trees. But avocado roots need the oxygen that remains in inert soil. You might want to experiment a bit. Try a young tree transplant into native clay soil, sandy clay soil, etc. Mound it up. That promotes healthy tree rooting. That works well everywhere. Too much swampy water is a problem, but usually because it ends up mixing with decaying matter. Remember, water is two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen (H2O). Roots need that oxygen, but so does decaying matter that people mix IN soil. That's when trouble sets in. They compete for the same oxygen, and the decaying matter wins. Then roots rot. I used to see my grandfather grow his avocado trees in extremely sandy soil, with lots of leaves and mulch ON top of the soil. It's an old, time proven, natural method.

​@@dohduh167​ hello , that technique sounds very interesting. Here in Peru I have seen that they add "estiercol de aves" onto the soil of the avocado trees, what is poultry's poo spreaded around the trees. Sometimes guinea-pig's poo. We have multiplied our production by several fold due to a national campaign supporting agro-exportation the last 20 years. Everything is setup in Peru for agro-exportation right now. Peruvian in the Andes lives as communities, they are the owners of the land. They know their climate and are hard-workers. Several communities have already get into the agro-exportation, but exists dozens of other communities that would be eager to be into this business too. Here the trees are producing in short period of time + government is doing a good job, too.

I’m working on finding a source for avocado pits that will grow the correct type of root stock. Once I get some started I’ll make a video about the grafting process. I haven’t found the types of popular root stock that are commonly used in the U.S. and Mexico. I think what I’ll need to do is locate a wild avocado tree in my area and gather some. If they prove to be a hearty root stock then I’ll grow one of them on my property without grafting to ensure a good supply in the future. I’d like to eventually produce grafted trees for sale. I’ve had mixed results with the trees I’ve purchased so I suspect a lot of the folks selling them are not using a good root stock or the trees are not the variety they claim.

Yeah, it’s an awesome place. The town is really cool too. Their phone number is on their Google maps entry. Marcos is there on the weekends. I think they’re closed on weekdays because the towns on the Ruta Escondida really only get enough tourism on the weekends. If you’re driving it’s easy to get there, if you’re traveling by bus you can get the bus to San Jose de Minas from the Carcelén bus station in the north of Quito. I’ve never taken the bus there but I’ve seen it meandering about the area. I suspect it’s a pretty slow ride.

@@FallofftheMap this looks like the perfect place to live that good life too. I don’t mind the slow ride as it gives more time to consider the route and towns it passes through.

You’re welcome. This was a fun video to make.

I’ll definitely keep an eye out for avocado thieves in yoga pants. 😆

😂

Yeah, there were a couple moments when I thought I understood him, but my wife stepped in and clarified because my understanding wasn’t correct.

That's so interesting, as a Brazilian with a below intermediate understanding of Spanish in general, I understood everything the farmer said lil. That motivates me to learn more!

No